Thanksgiving

my perfect plate, a big plate, but just one plate

potatoes washed

sauce with butter, cheddar, onion and sour cream

casserole ready to go in the oven

yams

peeled and cut

I finally used the vintage enamel paella pan Mom gave me a few years ago

sauce with butter, brown sugar, milk, maple syrup, and salt

ready to go in the oven

turkey breast in the refrigerator 

glass of wine for the chef - juice glass doesn't tip over as easily as stemware

chanterelle mushrooms, shallot, and thyme 

in a saucepan with butter and wine

mushroom relish for the green beans - my solution to green bean casserole

fresh green beans

Lulu loved playing with her bean

food ready to go in the oven, and a clean kitchen!

let's get some color on that bird

spuds two ways, cheddar sour cream au gratin, and baked candied yams

Lulu got her first taste of roasted turkey. She gobbled it up!

More turkey please!

blackberry lemon chess pie for dessert

blackberry lemon chess pie

Everyone else has pumpkin, apple or pecan pie. I wanted to do my own thing, but didn't have a lot of ingredients on hand, so I made a chess pie. I followed this recipe, and added the juice and zest of one lemon, and a cup of frozen blackberries from my garden. Used a frozen crust, blind baked for ten minutes, filled and baked for about an hour at 350. Looks amazing. A Northwest spin on a southern classic. My first chess pie. Can't wait to slice into it. I may have to leave the house while it's cooling.  

a sensible bachelor's Thanksgiving dinner plan

This year I thought a quiet Thanksgiving at home with Lulu would be in order. It will be her first Thanksgiving, so I hope she likes turkey. Of course she will. In the past, I've done everything from lobster rolls to baked manicotti. This year I will roast a whole turkey breast. I had considered brining, but instead I will wash, dry and season the bird, and let it rest uncovered overnight in the refrigerator. That, I'm told, is the key to a crispy skin. We'll see.

Lulu is going to be a happy cat tomorrow

I'm skipping some of the traditional favorites like stuffing and mashed potatoes, and choosing my indulgences. The rich, cheddar cheese potatoes with sour cream- those are indulgent, and I haven't had them in ages! The green beans sautéed in white wine, shallot and Oregon Chanterelle mushrooms will be a lighter alternative to the green bean casserole. Candied yams from scratch, because that's how I like them, and some homemade pan gravy. Chilled bottle of Prosecco in the fridge. Simple!

There's also a pie crust in the freezer, but not enough blackberries for a whole pie, so I think I'll do a chess pie with berries, either in the pie or as a compote. Or maybe I'll just have the yams for dessert and save the pie for later in the week. It might be nice when the leftovers are starting to disappear.

Tomorrow will be a quiet day of cooking and being thankful. I will be tuned in to the Food Network, thoroughly enjoying my wonderful kitchen, and Lulu will have her first taste of roasted turkey. The plan is one great plate full of food, ok, maybe two, and food for the next week. I love a great meal, but still need to fit in my jeans.

What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

killer blender salsa

I love the salsa they serve at the local restaurants in Portland, but until yesterday I never tried to make it. Why didn't I think of it sooner?!? So simple, easy, and delicious.

Ingredients
1 large can diced, fire roasted tomatoes, drained
1-3 chopped Serrano peppers, more if you like it hot
cilantro
1 chopped shallot
1 minced clove of garlic
juice of 1 lime
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

Everything in the food processor, pulse, scrape down sides, and pulse until blended. Takes about 5 minutes. Serve with good tortilla chips and any kind of beer. It was so good, I almost made dinner out of it!

Recreating Mutt's Spinach Pie

I went to school in Providence, Rhode Island, and there used to be this awesome little pizza place called Mutt's. I think the whole name was Mutt's Sicilian Pizza, and it was famous for a JFK Jr., and Brook Shields date night sighting and their marvelous spinach pie. It was savory, cheesy, garlicky, and absolutely delicious. Mutt's is long gone, but I miss their spinach pie. So I tried to make it at home.

I made it just like I would any other pizza, with homemade dough and fresh toppings. Mutt's spinach pie was oval, so I made the pie oval-shaped. It was topped with spinach sautéed in olive oil with onion and garlic; provolone and parmesan. I baked it on a pizza stone at 500 degrees until golden brown and bubbly, about 8 minutes.

Delicious, but needed to be even more savory. Next time I'll try some more aromatics, maybe a little roasted garlic, definitely a little more salt, and I'll try some different cheeses, too. So, I give myself a B+ but next time I'm going for the A+ with extra credit. Sometimes a great recipe takes time to refine, especially when you're trying to recreate something you had 30 years ago.